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5 Podcasts You're Late To The Party On (But So Was I!)

Wednesday, 13 July 2016

Podcasts are my new obsession. I know, I know, I'm so late to the party that it's almost laughable. But here I am jumping on the bandwagon. We can’t all be hipsters you know! I have acquired quite a long list of subscriptions now so here is the first instalment of my faves.

There are loads of apps and sites where you can get your podcasts from. I've focused on ones available on the iOS Podcast App but they aren't limited listening-wise to only Apple devices.
1. Serial

Serial is the podcast which kicked off my obsession. If you're a fan of documentaries like Making a Murderer, you're going to love Serial. Hosted by Sarah Koenig, the podcast tells one story from many points of view over the course of each season. Season 1 is about the brutal murder of Hae Min Lee, a high school student in Baltimore, Maryland, and the conviction of her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed for her murder. Season 2 concentrates on the controversial story of Bowe Bergdahl, a US soldier kept captive by the Taliban for nearly 5 years, who was released in a prisoner swap in May 2014. Sarah and her team take you on a journey through each case, dissecting every angle. They feature interviews with people involved, and talk to experts on the subject matter. There are a multitude of twists and turns as Sarah delves deeper into the events that unfold, and why they unfold in that way. You can download & listen to Serial in the iOS Podcast App or on the website, serialpodcast.org.
2. The Mystery Show

The Mystery Show is a quirky podcast where host, Starlee Kine, attempts to resolve niggling mysteries from people’s everyday lives. Her only rule? No mystery can be answered through a simple Google search. Each episode focuses on a new puzzle, ranging from how tall Jake Gyllenhaal is (surprisingly more complicated than it seems), tracking down the original owner of an ornate belt buckle picked up by a child in the street, to how a video store suddenly disappears in the middle of the night. This podcast is a charming and light hearted reminder that everything has a backstory. You can download & listen to The Mystery Show in the iOS Podcast App, or on Sound Cloud. Check out their page on Gimlet Media.

3. Reply All

Hosted by Alex Goldman and PJ Vogt, Reply All is a podcast that is all things internet. Each episode presents stories from all corners of internet culture and technology. With the whole internet at their finger tips, Alex & PJ cover a wide range of stories. There's an interview with the man who invented the pop-up ad, to an investigation into whether the infamous Pizza Rat meme was a hoax, to an insight into the phenomenon of insta-famous dogs. The show also features more serious subjects such as the vicious racial prejudice the anonymous app Yik Yak brought into the spotlight at Colgate University NY, or how ISIS is using social media. One of my favourite features is a segment called 'Yes Yes No' in which Alex & PJ’s boss, Alex Blumberg, brings them something inexplicable from the internet, usually a tweet or meme, and they translate what it means. You can download & listen to Reply All on the iOS Podcast App or on Sound Cloud. Check out their page on Gimlet Media.

4. TLDRThis podcast is the younger sibling of Reply All. It’s the podcast Alex & PJ used to host at the WNYC network before they moved to Gimlet Media to work on Reply All. The show features similar stories about internet culture brought to you by almost foetal versions of the hosts, and later reporting from their replacement, Meredith Haggerty. Sample stories include; a report on ‘Last Man’ the game in which individuals across America compete to be the last to know who wins the Super Bowl, watchmaker Swatch’s attempt to create a universal time called internet time or .beat, and spells you can buy from witches on Etsy. If you enjoy Reply All, listening to TLDR is a no-brainer. You can find TLDR on the iOS Podcast App.

5. The SourceFed Podcast
Now where all my other picks have been more journalistic in nature, The SourceFed Podcast is going to buck that trend! Usually unscripted, this podcast is like eavesdropping on a group of 4 mates basically chatting shit about anything they fancy. The presenters veer off on random tangents into some of the most obscure subjects. There is a team of presenters who take turns featuring on the podcast each week. My favourite presenter has got to be William Haynes, that boy cracks me up! This is a light podcast to listen to when you just want to laugh. You can download & listen to The SourceFed Podcast on the iOS Podcast App, on Sound Cloud, or you can watch it on YouTube. Also check out SourceFed.com.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I've got lots more podcast recommendations I want to share with you so let's treat this as the first installment!

Reclaim your idle time and listen to a podcast!

I binge listen to everything so I'm always on the lookout for new podcasts. Let me know any recommendations you have in the comments.